


Coping with Daedric deals

by TonalModulator



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls Online
Genre: Artaeum, Autistic Sotha Sil, Autistic vestige, Clavicus Vile (mentioned), ESO Summerset, Fix-It, Gen, Mephala (mentioned), Minor canon divergence, Nocturnal (Elder Scrolls) (mentioned), Summerset Spoilers, autistic space, but it converges back with canon afterward, just rewriting a conversation to be more suited to a dunmer vestige, summerset
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-16 23:13:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19328050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TonalModulator/pseuds/TonalModulator
Summary: *Contains spoilers for ESO: Summerset!*Talvini, the Tribunal-loyal Dunmer Vestige, has just made deals with Clavicus Vile and Mephala in an attempt to save reality. When Sotha Sil summons her, she assumes she will be facing the Tribunal's justice. It goes more smoothly than she expects.





	Coping with Daedric deals

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically a re-imagining of the conversation with Sotha Sil that takes place at the beginning of the ESO: Summerset quest "The Crystal Tower" about the events of the previous quest, "A Necessary Alliance." I figured Talvini would never be able to just casually mention making deals with Daedric Princes to her god, and it was even a little surprising to see Seht brush it off so easily.
> 
> Also featuring autistic space and supporting each other's stims, since Sotha Sil is about as canonically autistic as one can be without it being explicit, and he realizes that Talvini is also autistic (and basically having a meltdown).

Talvini could feel the panic setting in the moment she finished talking to Valsirenn. She was barely even aware that her feet were moving as she began walking toward Sotha Sil's study like she was ordered. She knew she wouldn't have enough time to collect herself—Sotha Sil had asked that she be sent to him immediately upon arriving, and he almost certainly already knew she was back. She reached the portal to his study, but couldn't bring herself to activate it. She would have to take a moment to breathe. Whatever trouble she was already in would probably far outweigh the transgression of keeping Sotha Sil waiting, anyway.

She walked over to the far side of the chamber and sat down against the wall, among the barrels and crates that had apparently been imported from the Clockwork City. The cool stone substance that made up the walls and floor was uncomfortable but not entirely unpleasant. It was grounding, helping to keep her from feeling like she was going to suffocate. She leaned her head back and willed herself to take a few deep breaths.

Her last trip to Summerset had been nothing short of blasphemous. She had made a deal with not one, but two Daedric princes. (Well, technically one was more of a negotiation that would probably lead to a deal, but it was effectively the same thing.) A good Tribunal-following Dunmer would _never_ do that. Sure, she did it to stop the annihilation of Nirn, and she didn't really have any other choice, but it was still an affront to her gods. This was especially true of Sotha Sil, her patron deity, who not only hated the Daedra, but was also the only one qualified to negotiate with them. In effect, Talvini realized, she had acted in his stead, as though she saw him as unnecessary. And he had wasted no time in summoning her, no doubt to face justice for her actions.

She put her head in her hands and took another deep breath, and realized she was crying. Evidently, this diversion was making things worse. She figured it was best to just get it over with.

She sighed, wiped her eyes, and stood up. Her legs were shaking, but she made it to the portal and activated it, trying to ignore the panic that was rising to her chest once again.

Once on the other side, she saw Sotha Sil working on his Imperfect with his back to the portal. She willed her feet to move. Her entire body was shaking now. She couldn't tell if she was walking normally, or too slowly, or stomping, or if her breathing was too loud...she was barely aware of her surroundings.

Somehow she found her way over to Sotha Sil and went to one knee. She tried to say some sort of greeting, but all she could manage was a weak, "Muthsera..." Words were not coming easily.

It must have at least been audible, though, because Sotha Sil turned around. "Ah, greetings," he said with a nod.

When she did not get up, he added, "Please, rise, Talvini."

But she couldn't. The panic had become too much to ignore. She dropped to both knees and began sobbing into her hands, mumbling apologies and pleas for forgiveness between gasping breaths.

Seht wasn't quite sure what to do. His co-Tribunes probably received crying subjects every day, but he rarely even held audience at all. He felt compassion, of course, but...he was not prepared for this. Should he wait? Use a calming spell? Say something? He decided to first sit down on the steps to his workstation, rather than continue towering over her.

After a moment, Talvini looked up, still crying.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...I don't mean to waste your time..."

Seht held up a hand to stop her apologies. "Please, take your time."

Talvini nodded cautiously and took a few more breaths.

He motioned to the spot next to him on the steps. "Come, sit with me, if you'd like."

She hesitated. He was being surprisingly patient for someone who was probably about to pass down a death sentence. Still, it seemed best to do what he asked. She moved over to the place where he had indicated, still wiping her eyes.

Seht offered her his sleeve. "An object that comes to be used for a purpose other than the one it was originally intended for is arguably more sacred, after all," he said with a faint smile, hoping to lighten the mood somewhat.

Tal cautiously accepted the sleeve and attempted a smile and a word of thanks before using it to wipe her face. Of course Sotha Sil was known for being enigmatic, but this was a different kind of mystery. He was being confusingly personable. But, whatever the reason, it was taking her mind off of her impending execution enough to stop crying and mostly even out her breathing.

Seht noticed the shift in her state. "There. Now, would you like to talk about what's upsetting you?"

She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the conversation. But something still wasn't adding up. If he had summoned her in response to her dealings with the Princes, shouldn't the source of her anxiety be obvious? Had he called her here to discuss something else, unaware of the grievous transgressions she had committed? It would explain his lack of ire. But, of course, she wasn't in the clear. Since she had demonstrated herself to be such a mess of anxiety, she would still have to explain why and own up to what she had done.

 _Of all the Three, why did I have to decide to emulate the one associated with truth and_ not _deception?_ she thought, glancing sideways at Sotha Sil.

She took her time trying to string words together in a coherent way, hoping in the back of her mind that Nocturnal wouldn't interrupt her by destroying Nirn. Or, maybe, that she would, so that Talvini wouldn't have to have this conversation...

"I was...worried... _terrified_...because I thought you'd called me here to kill me. Or...have me executed. Or generally face justice. Because of...the events that just took place in Summerset."

Her voice was slow and shaky. While she was pausing to breathe and plan the next string, Seht noticed that she was squeezing her arms tightly, leaving some scratches.

"Please, squeeze my arm instead," he said gently, offering his arm. "It's metal; you won't hurt me. There are even some free-spinning gears that you can manipulate, if that helps."

Slowly, as if waiting to see if he was joking or if he'd change his mind, Talvini pulled her hands away from her arms and reached for Sotha Sil's instead. This day just kept getting stranger.

When she had adjusted to the new stim, she continued, "I now realize that you likely are not yet aware of what happened, and that you called me here for some other reason altogether. But, I am still worried that when you do learn of...my...transgressions, your response may be exactly as I initially predicted."

When it seemed that Talvini was done talking, Seht spoke. "May I ask questions? You can answer in any way that you feel comfortable, or you can choose not to answer at all. And, while I suspect that it will be necessary for me to learn the nature of these...events that you speak of before we save Nirn, I will not push you for details before you are ready. Is that all right?"

Talvini nodded.

"Do we still share the same goal: to stop Nocturnal from taking over the Crystal Tower and remaking Nirn in her own image?"

She nodded vigorously, hoping that that much was still very clear.

"During this trip to Summerset, did you stray from that goal? That is to say, did you actively work against it at any point?"

She shook her head.

"The transgressions you speak of, were they committed in pursuit of our goal, then?"

Tal nodded cautiously.

"Were they religious in nature, something forbidden according to Tribunal teachings?"

Seht felt Talvini's grip tighten, and her gear-spinning became agitated. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, fresh tears dripping onto his clockwork arm, and nodded.

By this point, he had a fairly good idea of what her "transgressions" were, but he could tell he was pushing her too hard.

"I realize this must be difficult, but you're helping greatly, Talvini. Thank you for working with me."

She relaxed somewhat, but her spinning was still too erratic for Seht to feel comfortable moving on. He decided to try another topic in the meantime.

"I'm glad you like the gears," he said, finding an unoccupied one to spin himself. "Vehk likes to tease me for them. Of course, ze's usually spinning them the whole time..."

A smile managed to find its way to Tal's face.

Seht decided it was safe to continue, but more gently. "Though I hesitate to jump to conclusions, I am inclined to commend your judgment. From what you have told me, you made a decision to go against established laws for the sake of saving reality, even at great risk to yourself."

He looked at this mer, spinning the free gears and absentmindedly examining the construction of his arm, clinging to structure, barely speaking or looking at him but clearly caring so much, and saw himself. Not simply emulation, but something about their nature. Their gears were aligned in a similar way. They shared a way of perceiving and interacting with the world around them that was fundamentally different from most of the larger population.

"I suspect that rules are more important to you than they are to most, that regardless of the consequences, violating a rule feels like violating your very nature. Am I correct?"

Talvini considered this for a moment. It seemed like a fair assessment, and so she nodded, but she wondered how he arrived at that conclusion. Probably just part of his divine perception abilities.

"In that case, I must commend you again, for making such a difficult choice in order to protect Nirn."

They sat in silence for a moment. Seht wanted to give Talvini time to fully process this deviation from her original expectations, knowing that the next part would be difficult.

Finally, Seht spoke again, taking care to keep his voice gentle. "What did Clavicus Vile demand of you?"

Talvini's head shot up to look at him, her eyes filled with absolute terror.

He maintained the same softness in his voice. "You made a deal with him, correct? I ask only because I wish to help. The reason we discourage dealings with Daedric Princes is in large part because they cannot be trusted. My companions and I are meant to have taken their place in Dunmeri society. If you found yourself in a scenario where you had to make deals with Daedric Princes in order to save the multiverse, then to be frank, the Tribunal failed you. If you would tell me the terms, I can at least try to protect you from any ill effects of their demands."

Tal spoke slowly. "Clavicus Vile offered a way into the Crystal Tower through his realm. He wouldn't provide details about what he would have in return, only that it wouldn't cost me more than I could afford."

Sotha Sil frowned. "That is...troubling. Very troubling. I am truly sorry you had to be the one to make that deal, but I promise to help in any way I can when he comes to collect on it."

He pondered this for a moment, and then continued. "What of Mephala?"

"Mephala only agreed to talk with us again when we are ready to assault the Tower. Ze didn't seem to have much confidence in us, though, and ze threatened to kill me a couple times."

The gears Tal was spinning shifted slightly as Sotha Sil clenched his fists. When he spoke again, his voice was bordering on frightening, and Talvini began to understand how this single god-mer had once managed to wrangle eight Princes into a compact.

"I must apologize in particular for leaving you to parley with the Webspinner. The Good Daedra may be our historical allies, but as you witnessed firsthand, they are hardly benevolent." Seht took a breath and relaxed slightly before continuing. "I am sure ze will insist on speaking with you directly when we contact hir again, but know that I will be right there with you."

They sat in silence for a few moments.

"Well, Talvini, you came here expecting to face justice. You have my commendations and my promise on behalf of the whole Tribunal to do better. Would you say that justice has been served to your satisfaction?"

Talvini smiled, half-laughing, and nodded. "This is certainly a better outcome than I anticipated."

"Good. Then let us move forward."

They discussed the plan to assault the Tower, and Sotha Sil asked Talvini to gather her companions in preparation for the mission.

As they stood up to see to their respective duties, Seht said, "Could I ask you to wait another moment before you go?"

Tal nodded and stood watching as Sotha Sil turned toward his workstation and began assembling something with great speed and purpose. He turned back to her and extended his hand, offering what looked like a small device.

She took the object and examined it. It was a set of three small connected gears attached to a larger base gear.

"A boon," he said with a smile. "Somewhat harder to keep with you than clockwork arms, but also less drastic. May it serve you well."

Talvini beamed and began spinning the gears on the new device. "Thank you, Lord Seht," she said, bowing low with much more grace than she had displayed in her entrance.

Seht accepted her gesture with a half-bow of his own. "Now, go find your companions. We have a multiverse to save."


End file.
